The present invention generally relates to apparatus for supplying lubricant, and more particularly, to a multiple chamber lubrication system for supplying different lubricants to apparatus components requiring lubrication.
Lubrication systems such as those shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,187,684; 2,636,441; 2,787,225; 3,469,532; 3,502,029; 3,945,772; 4,487,340; 4,762,474; and 6,102,676, supply lubricant to apparatus components such as bearings to reduce wear, friction, heat, and noise. Such systems generally include a reservoir for holding a particular lubricant and a pump for pumping lubricant from the reservoir. Depending on factors such as surface loading and operating temperatures, different lubricants may be desirable. Currently, when different apparatus components require different lubricants, separate lubrication systems are used to deliver each lubricant. Although using separate lubrication systems is effective, multiple lubrication systems can increase cost, size, complexity, and weight. It is frequently desirable to minimize these characteristics. Thus, there is a need for lubrication systems capable of simultaneously distributing different lubricants.